Artemis
Hunting, Wild Animals, Childbirth, Children
Domains:
Olympian
Category:
5E Alignment:
5E Domains:
5E Symbol:
Greek Name | Transliteration | Latin Spelling | Translation |
Αρτεμις | Artemis | Artemis | Diana |
ARTEMIS was the Olympian goddess of hunting, the wilderness and wild animals. She was also a goddess of childbirth, and the protectress of the girl child up to the age of marriage--her twin brother Apollon was similarly the protector of the boy child. Together the two gods were also bringers of sudden death and disease--Artemis targeted women and girls, Apollon men and boys.
In ancient art Artemis was usually depicted as a girl or young maiden with a hunting bow and quiver of arrows.
Myths
Artemis' mother Leto was hounded throughout her pregnancy by the jealous goddess Hera but eventually found refuge on the floating island of Delos. There she gave birth to Artemis who assisted her mother as midwife with the birth of her younger twin-brother Apollon.
Kallisto (Callisto) was a handmaiden of the goddess who Zeus seduced by assuming her form. When Artemis discovered the girl was pregnant she transformed her into a bear and exiled her to the wilds.
The handsome giant Orion was a companion of the goddess but her jealous brother Apollon tricked her into killing him with a distant bow-shot. In her grief Artemis placed him amongst the stars as the constellation Orion.
When the Aloadai (Aloadae) giants tried to storm Olympos, Artemis assumed the form of a doe and raced between them causing the pair to cast their spears, miss, and strike each other dead.
The hunter Aktaion (Actaeon) spied upon the goddess as she was bathing with her nymphs at a spring. Angered, she transformed him into a stag and had him torn apart by his own hounds.
The giant Kalydonian (Calydonian) Boar was sent by Artemis to ravage the lands of King Oineus as punishment for neglecting her in his sacrifices to the gods.
As the Greek fleet was preparing to sail for Troy, King Agamamnon offended Artemis and she becalmed the waters preventing their departure. To appease the goddess the king was forced to sacrifice his own daughter Iphigeneia, but she snatched the girl safely away from the altar and replaced her with a doe.
Artemis was a divine ally of the Trojans during the Trojan War. In a clash between the rival factions of gods she confronted Hera, but the Queen of the Gods tore the bow from her hands, beat her about the head, and sent her fleeing back to Olympos in tears.
Many other myths are detailed over the Theoi Project page.